Mechanical cocking device for automatic firearms



Sept. 18, 1945. RBRUNNER ET AL 2,384,837

MECHANICAL COOKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed April 5, 1940 5Sheets-Sheet 1 1-7 .2 INVENTORS AT TO RN EYS Sept. 18, 1 945.

F. B RUNNER ET AL 2,384,887 MECHANICAL COCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICFIREARMS Filed April 3, 1940 8 '5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR$ FBRU/V/VER dCT/7/i/RY ATTORNEYS Sept. 18, 1945. F. BRUNNE-R ET AL 2,384,387

MECHANICAL COCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed April 3, 1940 5Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 18, 1945 2,384,887- OFFICE gMECHANICAL cooKING DEVICEFOB AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Friedrich Brunncr andCarl 'I-Iaury,

Zurich, Switzerland 1 Application April 2;, 1940, Serial No.'327,55s InSwitzerland April 22, 1939 Claims. (CL 891)- j Developments in automaticfirearms tend towards ever increasing firing rates and initialvelocities. This requires automatically a strengthening oftherecuperating elements used to move the gliding parts of the weaponfrom the cocked position into the firing position. 'In course ofdevelopment this strengthening of the recuperating elements oversteppedthe limit at whichdirect cocking by hand would still have been possible.This necessitated the useof auxiliary means for cooking andlvarioustypes of mechanical cocking devices were evolved by technicaldesignerswithina short time.

Apneumatic cocking device, for instance, is known in which power andtravel are generated in a simple way by means of a compressed-aircylinder." .A drawback of this system, however. is the necessity forproviding for the supply of compressed air, a matter of some difficultywith mobile guns. 5 r j In an attempt to reach by purely mechanicalmeans the required power. and travel afllever cocking device wasdesigned and made known, in which the recuperating element isv cockedgradually by means of a ratchet and pawl gear and transmission acting ona rack. This ratchet and pawl gearfis, however, lacking in thesimplicity desirable in'weapon's. It is; moreover, impossible to reachby these means the working speed'sometimes required of such a 'device.

A further design'has become known which providesthe mounting with apedal lever acting as power increasing gear for cocking the breechblock' recoil spring by means of 'a wire rope connecting the lever withthe gliding parts of the weapon. The drawbackof such a device connectedwith the mountingis that it constitutes an additional element and cannottherefore be used with all types of mountings. i

The mechanical cocking device for automatic firearms according to thepresent invention likewise uses a flexible'elementfor cocking'the recoilspring. It eliminates'the above mentioned drawbacks by an arrangementensuring that bya movement that can be carried'out with at least onepart of the mounting the necessary tractive power is brought to act onthe flexible element. I v V r I f Most of the mounting types forautomatic firearms constitute in one form or another lever or geartransmissions for controlling lateral or vertical displacement. Movingparts of the mounting-gforinstance at the cradle of a swivel mounting,or. at the folding seat of a-pedestal mount-- ingsometimes enableleverage to be secured. The following description of the presentinvention mentions several examples of the manner in which the leverageor gear transmissions already provided in the mounting can be turned toaccount for the purpose of cooking therecuperating elements.

The attached drawings present several constructional examples embodyingthe object and principles of the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows in elevation a pillar mounting with automatic gun equippedwith a cooking de vice according to the invention. 7

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing, a difierent ar rangement,

Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, an elevation and-plan of a four-gunarrangement with the cooking device. m 3 Fig. 5 shows in elevation apedestal mounting with'automatic gun in which thecocking movement andpower are provided by the folding seat.

Fig. '6 is a similar view of a pedestal mounting with .disengageableelevating wheel.

The numeral I in Figs. 1 and 2 designates the weapon, and 2 the glidingparts of the weapon. Weapon I. rests on cradle 3 with which it isrigidly connected. Cradle 3 is supported on arm 4 set on' pillar 5 andis made to pivot upon journal 4a. Pillar 5 is adjustable in height bymeans of hand wheel Bin the support orpedestal l. The c'on'necting linkbetween the pedestal and t the gliding parts of the weapon is a flexiblemember such as a cable or rope 8 fixed at one end at 811 or Sb to afixed part of the mounting. The other end of the connecting link isattached at'a suitable point 2a or 21) on the gliding part 2 of theweapon.

In the gun according to Fig] 1 the wire cable 8 is led over the pulley3a on the cradle 3, and

' the cocking is eflectedby inclining the weapon from a nearly verticalposition to the horizontal position. The distance between pulley 3a andthe pivotlla determines the leverage and thereby the degree of travel ofthe cable end at 2a, and thus" also directly determinesthe angle atwhich cradle 3 and weapon 1 must be inclined in order to ensure therequired cocking-travel. After the gliding parts have been brought intofiring position and the trigger hook has engaged the catch, aslight'rotation of the weapon in the opposite direction is sufficienttoloosen cable 8 suificiently for disengaging it from its temporaryanchor point Za'to get the weapon in readiness for firing.

Prior to .tensioning the recuperating element, the gun according to Fig.2 is also brought into vertical position, and pil1ar'5 lowered byturning handwheel 6 until it reaches its lowermost p0 sition. Theflexible element 8-likewise a steel rope or other traction means-is thenunwound from the spring tensioning'pulley 8b and hooked orotherwisetemporarily attached at the point 2b. If now pillar 5 with pivot l,cradle {i and weapon I is raised again by operating wheel 6,

the gliding parts of the weapon, for example the breech block, beingheld fast by the connecting element 8, do not partake of the upwardmovement. 'By raising the pillar for. a length corresponding to thecocking travel, the weapon is put in readiness for firing after thecable 8 has been detached. Fig. 2, furthermore, shows in springtensioning pulley 8b a simple device enabling the cable or other element8 to be put away quickly to a convenient place from which it can beeasily taken at any moment.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the weapons of a four-fold gun arrangement aredesignated at H, the gliding parts of the Weapons at l2, and the cradlein which the weapons are fixed at [3. I4 is a pivoting frame set on thefixed pedestal I5. Pedestal I5 is provided in its middle with a pivotingheart-shaped body l6 carrying the ends l'la of the cable or otherflexible elements H. The opposite ends IIb are connected with thesliding blocks or followers I8. Each follower I8 is provided with twoarms I8a which-engage, and thus transmit the movement of the followerto, the gliding parts [2 of two of the weapons. The guide pulleys I9arranged on the cradle l3 serve to bring the forces in the flexibleconnecting elements into the axial direction of the weapon.

The arrangement according to Figs. 3 and 4 functions as follows: Whenstarting the cocking process, lock pin is inserted into the heartshapedplate I6 so that this latter is prevented from rotation in relation topedestal [5. The mounting is now shifted in direction about a verticalaxis by means of the gear provided for this purpose. In the course ofthis movement the connecting elements lTfor instance steel ropes orchainsare pressed against the heart-shaped body and thus pull thefollowers 18 carrying with them the gliding parts 12 of the weapon,towards the right. After all weapons have been brought into the cockedposition the lateral movement is resumed towards the starting position,and lock pin 20 removed. The followers I8 are brought back into startingposition shown in Fig. 4 by their own recuperating elements. The exampleof Figs. 3 and 4 thus shows how the lateral displacement of the wholemounting is turned to account for the purpose of cooking therecuperating elements.

Fig. 5- shows a pillar mounting in which the weapon 2| rests on thecradle 23 with its gliding parts 22. The upper mounting 24 which carriescradle 23 ontrunnions 240, can pivot in pedestal 25. The gunners seat 26is fixed on the upper mounting 24 and can be folded up; 21 is atelescopic frame made of tubing and fixed to seat 26. Connecting link 28is hooked into the gliding parts at 22a, led over pulley 29 at theweapon end and fixed to the folded-up seat 26 at 26a. To cock theweapon, frame 21 is drawn out and folded down by hand together With theseat. The ratio of the distances between 26a and 21 and the hinge onwhich the seat as a whole pivot, should be selected so as to enable oneman of the crew to apply the necessary power and to cover the wholecocking travel. With reference to the example of execution according toFig. '5 it should be observed that the body weight of the attendant,applied by suspending himself by his hands from the frame 21, can beused as force generating element. Here, too, the connecting element isunhooked and put away after the breech has caught into the breech hook.

Fig. 6 has the same pillar mounting as shown in Fig. 5, and is equipped.with an elevating gear including a hand wheel 32- that can bedisconnected by means of lever 3!]. Whilst the elevating gear isdisconnected, rope drum 3| is made to rotate by turning hand-wheel 32which is suitably geared to the drum by a, change-over" gear. Rope 28wound round pulley 29 pulls backwards the gliding parts of the weapon 22and thus cooks the recoil spring. The wheel 32 thus serves to aim theweapon and also to cock the recoil spring.

The connecting elements described in Figs. 1-6 do not by far exhaust thepossibilities afiorded by the presentinvention. The use of a. system ofrods is, for instance, an obvious possibility. An essential point of thepresent invention is the fact that a connecting link of simpleand lightdesign enables the cocking process to be carried out quickly and withouthavingto resort to additional mechanical gears and couplings.

We claim:

1. In combination, an automatic firearm having a recoil spring, asupport on which'the firearm is mounted, means for compressing therecoil spring including a. member movably mounted on said support andmovable from a first position to a second position, said member having anormal function other than aiding in compressing of said spring, aslidable device 011 said gun movable to compress said spring, and aflexible, tractive element connected to said slidable device andoperatively connected to said movable member, whereby upon movement ofsaid movable member to said second position, a tractive force is exertedon said flexible member and is transmitted by the tractive element tosaid slidable device for compressing said spring. e 2. In combination,an automatic firearm havinga recoil spring, a'support' on which thefirearm is mounted, means for compressing the recoil spring including amember movably mounted on said support and movable from a first positionto a second position, said member having a normal function other thanaiding in compressing of said spring for preparing the gun for firing, aslidable device on said gun movable to compress said spring, and amotion transmitting element connected to said slidable device andoperatively connected to said movable memben. whereby upon movement ofthe movable member to said second position a compressive force istransmitted by the motion transmitting element and through the slidabledevice to the spring.

3. The combination, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the movable membercomprises a cradle pivoted to said support and to which the firearm isattached, and a guide member mounted on said cradle and spaced from thepivot of the cradle about which the flexible element passes. 4. Thecombination as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the movable member comprises a gear" ing seat, the tractivepower being supplied bylowering such folding seat to'normal position.

FRIEDRICH BRUNNER 1 CARL HAURY.

